Vanderbilt research: Why marijuana smokers cite anxiety as reason

12:35 PM,
Mar. 7, 2014

Dr. Sachin Patel, Vanderbilt University researcher

Written by

Heidi Hall
| hhall@tennessean.com

Vanderbilt University researchers discovered a possible reason why people cite anxiety as a reason they use marijuana - the brain absorbs the drug through the same receptors that regulate fight-or-flight responses.

The study, published in March issue of Neuron medical journal, found the nerve cells in the amygdala's central nucleus that make and release their own naturally occuring molecules regulating mood and appetite, among other feelings.

A National Institutes of Health grant funded the study, lead by Dr. Sachin Patel, Vanderbilt professor of psychiatry and of molecular ...